Golf range

ABSTRACT

A plurality of ball dispensing and teeing machines located at the range teeing area for dispensing and teeing balls for golfer usage. A belt conveyorized ball distributing system located adjacent to the ball dispensing and teeing machines for distributing balls automatically between each of them. Ballconfining means surrounding the range playing area for containing balls driven from the teeing area, and ball-retrieving means disposed within the playing area for returning balls to the belt conveyorized ball distributing system, thus providing continuous unattended range operation.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Joseph Arthur Gentiluomo 1456 Belmont Ave., Schenectady, N.Y. 12308 [21] Appl. No. 796,256 [22] Filed Dec. 6,1968 {45] Patented Aug. 31, 1971 Continuation of application Ser. No. 480,713, Aug. 18, 1965.

[54] GOLF RANGE 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 273/35, 273/182 R, 273/201, 273/176 A [51] Int. Cl ..A63b 69/36, A63b 67/02 [50] Field of Search 273/176, 201, 182, 35

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,667,481 4/1928 Lange et al. 273/201 X 8/1932 Woolman 273/176 (K) 2,011,146 8/1935 Evans 273/176(K) 2,123,195 7/1938 Middleton 273/201 3,294,402 12/1966 Scott 273/201 3,298,694 1/1967 Turnau et al. 273/201 Primary Examiner-George J. Marlo system, thus providing continuous unattended range operation.

PATENTED M1831 I971 3,60? 506 sum 2 OF 2 JOSEPH A. GENTILUOMO GOLF RANGE This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 480,713, filed Aug. 18,1965.

Accordingly, objects of my invention are as follows:

To provide a golfing range adaptable to both indoor and outdoor use.

To provide a structure disposed to house a plurality of automatic golf ball dispensing and teeing machines functional as a golfing range.

To provide a structure to accommodate the use of all types of golf balls.

To provide either a manual or coin operated automatic ball dispensing and teeing system.

To provide a structure with proper back-stopping to contain and enhance golf balls" to enter the ball return means.

Toprovide an automatic ball-retrieving system to gather and convey golf balls to the ball-distributing means for reuse.

To provide a mechanized ball-distributing means.

These objects and other objects of this invention should be discerned and appreciated from the description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of the golfing range;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side elevation view of FIG. I viewed from direction of sidewall 3, which is removed for convenience of illustration.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged schematic elevation view of the ball-distributing means;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged schematic plan view of the balldistributing means. i

A preferred and typical embodiment of my invention comprises a golfing range structure designated as numeral 1 and containing a ball-confining means such as sidewall 2 and 3, tarpaulin backstop 5 and a suspended-type ceiling 6 when height of roof is low. Associated with said confining means is the ball-retrieving means consisting of inclined floor 7, retrieving gutter 8 and return gutter 9 which provides balls to the ball-distributing means. Said ball-distributing means consists of ball-elevating means 10 and ball-distributing system 11 which function to supply balls on demand to the balldispensing and teeing means such as automatic bill dispensing and teeing machines 12.

In explaining the invention in detail, it can be discerned that this invention is capable of many embodiments of which the preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompany drawings and also herein described.

The golfing range structure 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 consists essentially of substantially vertical walls 2, 3 and 4 fixedly mounted and associated with ceiling 6 and inclined floor 7. In order to facilitate the movement of balls toward the retrieving gutter 8, the inclined floor 7 is sloped downwardly toward the tarpaulin backstop 5 whence it terminates at said gutter 8. Slope of said inclined floor commences in front of the dispensing and teeing machines and is of such inclination as to enhance the rolling action of balls downwardly toward said retrieving gutter 8. Backstop 5 is fixedly mounted in a substantially vertical position off of rear wall 4. It is fabricated from a material such as thin plastic sheeting of such size as to substantially span the inside of rear wall 4 and act as an effective ball backstop. The backstop material properties must be such as to abate the phenomena of elastic collision between it and the balls. A plastic film material such as polyurethane can be used to incite the golf balls to leave the backstop after impact at a low separation velocity, thereby causing the balls to drop downwardly in front of said backstop and enter the confinements of the retrieving gutter 8.

The retrieving gutter 8 is located beneath and in front of tarpaulin backstop 5 as shown in FIG. 2. Opening of said gutter commences at exit level 13 of inclined floor 7 and is of sufficient width, depth and length to properly contain conveying means and golf balls 14 deposited therein. Length of retrieving gutter 8 spans substantially the width of structure I from sidewall 2 to sidewall 3. The conveying means 15 such as a belt conveyor, is fixedly mounted within said retrieving gutter 8 and operative in conveying balls designated as 14 to the return gutter 9. Fixedly mounted within return gutter 9 is return conveying means 16 such as a belt conveyor whose side entrance 18 intersects with discharge end 17 of conveying means 15 to effectuate the transfer of designated balls 14 from conveying means 15 to return conveying means I6.

The ball-elevating means 10, such as an elevator conveyor, is fixedly mounted and operatively associated intermediate return conveying means 16 and ball-distributing system 11. Discharge end 19 of return conveying means 16 is disposed to intersect at inlet end of said ball elevating means 10 and effectuate transfer of balls into elevator loading hopper 20. Mounted at a fixed height above ball supply hoppers or ball receptacles 21, of a plurality of ball dispensing and teeing machines 12, is the ball-distributing system 11. Said ball-distributing system 11 is disposed with respect to the ball-elevating means discharge end 22 to effectuate the transfer of balls into gravity chute 23 which in turn conveys said balls onto the conveyor approach section 29 of ball-distributing leg 24. Said gravity chute 23 is disposed such that discharge end 22 of ballelevating means l0 intersects and discharges balls into said chute in substantially the same direction as the gravity chutes conveying direction. The ball-distributing system 11 is fixedly mounted in a substantially horizontal position and is of the recirculating closed loop type as shown in the schematic drawing of FIG. 4. Ball-reorienting leg 25 is operatively associated and positioned with respect to ball-distributing leg 24 to change the direction of ball travel approximately 90 Discharge end 33 of said ball-distributing leg 24 is disposed to intersect and discharge balls onto reorienting leg 25. Discharge end- 34 of ball-reorienting leg 25 in turn intersects and discharges balls onto ball-reorienting leg 26, thus, changing the direction of ball travel opposite in sense to balls conveyed in the ball-distributing leg 24. Discharge end 35 of ballreorienting leg 26 intersects and discharges balls onto ballreorienting leg 27 to once again change ball direction by approximately 90 Conveyor discharge end 36 of ball-reorienting leg 27 intersects conveyor approach section 29 of ball-distributing leg 24 and discharges'the recirculated balls back onto it. The guide partition corner 32 is fixedly positioned over conveyor approach section 29, as shown in FIG. 4, in such a manner that balls entering conveyor approach section 29 from gravity chute 23 will not interfere and obstruct the flow of balls ensuing from the ball-reorienting leg 27.

The ball-distributing'leg 24 operates as the ball supply means for the ball supply hoppers 21 and ball-reorienting legs 25, 26 and 27 function as ball return means for balls not 1 discharged through the plurality of ball escapement means 28,

thus, forming the closed loop of the recirculating ball-distributing system 11. Ball-distributing leg 24 consists of a conveyor approach section 29 such as a belt conveyor and a plurality of ball distribution conveyors 30.. Said conveying sections 29 and 30 are operatively interconnected to'convey balls to the right over escapement means 28 which are retractably mounted ahead of conveyor inlet ends 37 of ball distribution conveyors 30. The plurality of ball escapement means 28 are operably and functional in discharging-balls into ball supply hoppers 21 on demand. Discharge end 33 of ball-distributing leg 24 intersects side entrance 38 of ball-reorienting leg 25 and is operatively interconnected. Discharge end 34 of ballreorienting leg 25 intersects side entrance 39 of ball-reorienting leg 26 and is operatively interconnected. Discharge end 35 of ball-reorienting leg 26 intersects side entrance 40 of ballreorienting leg 27 and is operatively interconnected. Also, discharge end 36 of ball-reorienting leg 27 intersects side entrance 41 of conveyor approach section 29 and is operatively interconnected to allow balls to reenter said conveyor approach section 29 and in turn combine with balls entering said conveyor via gravity chute 23. Ball-distributing system 11 is enclosed by guide partitions 31 and 32 which are fixedly mounted with respect to said conveyors and disposed to confine the balls within a prescribed area over the belt conveyors. Guide partition corners 32 are constructed to divert and provide smooth flow of balls from one conveying direction to another at all points of conveyor intersection.

In operation, the herein described golfing range system is completely automatic. Upon placement of proper fee into the accumulator 44 of the coin-operated dispensing and teeing machines 12, balls designated as 42 will automatically become available for golfer usage after the vend. When balls 42 are hit from their respective tees they may ensue one of many possible trajectories denoted by the short dash lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. Balls hitting the tarpaulin backstop 5 will drop downwardly and ultimately deposit upon Ball-conveying means 15 which is operable within ball-retrieving gutter 8. Said ball-conveying means 15 will convey balls 14 to the discharge end 17 whence they will transfer onto return conveying means 16 via side entrance l8.

Conveying means 16, which is located within return gutter 9, will in turn convey and discharge said balls from conveyor discharge end 19 into elevator-loading hopper 20. The balls are then picked up from the loading hopper 20 by the elevating means which consists of a moving conveyor belt having a plurality of cleats 43 fixedly mounted and equally spaced in a substantially horizontal manner upon its peripheral surface. Continuous conveyor belt movement, of said elevating means 10, will move balls upwardly through cleat action to the discharge end 22 whence they are released into gravity chute 23. Balls discharged into gravity chute 23 will slide downwardly and deposit upon conveyor approach section 29 whence they will be conveyed and circulated within ball-distributing system 11.

Upon release from chute 23, the balls will move on through the ball-distributing leg 24 by the conveyance action of conveyor approach section 29 and the ball distribution conveyors 30. If the ball supply hoppers are full said balls will merely circulate in a closed loop pattern within ball-distributing system 11. When any of the ball supply hoppers 21 indicate a deficiency of balls, the ball escapement means 28 above ball deficient hoppers will automatically release balls to fill said deficient hoppers to proper level.- Upon proper filling of said supply hoppers the ball escapement means 28 will automatically close, causing balls to be routed via reorienting leg 25. Upon leaving reorienting leg 25 said balls will emerge on ballreorienting leg 26 and move along until deposited on reorienting leg 27. Said reorienting leg 27 will in turn convey said balls back onto conveyor approach section 29 to once again combine with balls entering via gravity chute 23. This ball replenishing, recirculating and hopper filling mode will predominate in a random continuous manner thus providing a completely automatic ball-distributing system. The solid arrowed lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically represent conveyors associated with the ball-distributing means and denote their direction of motion.

Having thusly described may invention, 1 claim:

1. A golf range comprising, in combination, a golf ball teeing area from which golf .balls are driven, a playing area into which golf balls may be driven from said teeing area, a plurality of ball dispensing and teeing means disposed at said teeing area for dispensing and teeing golf balls for golfer usage, each of said ball dispensing and teeing means including a ball receptacle, and ball-distributing means disposed adjacent said teeing area, said ball-distributing means including a belt conveying arrangement so oriented as to permit golf balls to be fed directly from a belt conveyor thereof to each receptacle of said ball dispensing and teeing means.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, further characterized by a ball-confining means disposed wit respect to said playing area for containing said driven golf balls within said playing area.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, further characterized by a ball-retrieving means disposed within said playing area and functional in returning balls from said playing area to said ball-distributing means.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein the ball dispensing and teeing means are coin-operated. 

1. A golf range comprising, in combination, a golf ball teeing area from which golf balls are driven, a playing area into which golf balls may be driven from said teeing area, a plurality of ball dispensing and teeing means disposed at said teeing area for dispensing and teeing golf balls for golfer usage, each of said ball dispensing and teeing means including a ball receptacle, and ball-distributing means disposed adjacent said teeing area, said ball-distributing means including a belt conveying arrangement so oriented as to permit golf balls to be fed directly from a belt conveyor thereof to each receptacle of said ball dispensing and teeing means.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1, further characterized by a ball-confining means disposed wit respect to said playing area for containing said driven golf balls within said playing area.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 2, further characterized by a ball-retrieving means disposed within said playing area and functional in returning balls from said playing area to said ball-distributing means.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein the ball dispensing and teeing means are coin-operated. 